Friday, 20 June 2014

Defeat UKIP by being bold, Gordon McKay tells Labour

Scotland NEC member Gordon McKay urged Labour to be bold and give members and their families a reason to vote Labour and 'wipe UKIP off the map'. #uNDC14

Gordon demolished the politics of UKIP. "When Farage says that parts of Britain are unrecognisable thanks to mass immigration, and that we should be concerned if Romanians moved in next door to us, that is aimed simply at spreading fear, hate and division based on race and colour.

But Gordon warned that we must not label all UKIP voters as sharing those views.

"In the last 80 years the trade union movement had defeated the British Union of Fascists, the National Front and the BNP. We did it not by condemning everyone who voted for them. We did it by working with communities and by exposing these groups for what they stood for and we will do the same with UKIP."

"The UKIP that promotes scrapping the NHS, ending equal pay and slashing tax for the richest."

In a message to Ed Miliband, Gordon said it was the union's task to give people hope and you don't defeat UKIP by saying "Vote Labour, vote for Tory spending limits" or vote for more austerity.

You defeat UKIP by "being bold" said Gordon. "Vote for Labour, vote for the NHS. Vote Labour, vote for public services. Vote Labour, vote for a fair society."

"So to the Labour party we say give our members and their families a reason to vote for you."

"I don't want a society where UKIP are seen as legitimate. So, let's go back to our workplaces and communities and organise and educate and wipe UKIP off the political map and build a society our children and grandchildren can be proud of."

Earlier speakers exposed UKIP policies like paying for NHS treatment, cutting maternity leave, flat rate taxation which would hit the poor and middle earners while the rich would benefit and scrapping many employment rights.

Conference agreed to "provide an alternative voice which refutes the hateful untruths, sets out the arguments against UKIP and others, and promotes a different society where communities work together to demand better lives for all working people rather than fight amongst each other."